Some fruits that grow in nature are poisonous and can be harmful or even deadly if ingested. Poisonous fruits often contain natural toxins as a defense mechanism to prevent animals from eating them before their seeds are mature. These fruits can range from slightly bitter or irritating to highly toxic, affecting humans and other animals differently depending on the species and the amount consumed.
One of the ways poisonous fruits affect the body is through chemical compounds such as alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, or lectins. These substances can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, or, in severe cases, organ failure and death. Even small amounts of certain fruits, such as those from the deadly nightshade or some varieties of berries, can be dangerous if eaten.
Some poisonous fruits are deceptively attractive, with bright colors or sweet aromas that entice unsuspecting animals. This mimicry helps the plant spread its seeds once a predator learns to avoid it or when specialized animals consume it safely. Humans, however, may not have evolved the same tolerance, making it important to identify edible fruits properly before consumption.
In many cases, the seeds or pits of certain fruits are more toxic than the flesh. For example, apple seeds contain cyanide compounds, and cherry or peach pits can be harmful if chewed and swallowed. This means that while the fruit itself may seem safe, consuming parts of it incorrectly can lead to serious poisoning.
Poisonous Fruits You Need To Know
European Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)
This plant produces small, egg-shaped berries that turn a bright, enticing red when ripe. While the ripe berries are considered only mildly toxic, all other parts of the plant are poisonous. Ingestion can cause symptoms like abdominal pain, vomiting, and dizziness. They are a classic example of a “looks can be deceiving” forest fruit.
Jerusalem Cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum)
Often grown as an ornamental houseplant for its cheerful, cherry-like fruits, the Jerusalem Cherry is a member of the nightshade family. Its bright orange or red berries contain solanocapsine, a toxin that can cause gastric distress, vomiting, and circulatory issues if eaten, particularly by children or pets.
Yew Berries (Taxus baccata)
The yew tree produces soft, red, cup-shaped fruits called arils. The bright red flesh is the only non-toxic part, but it surrounds a highly poisonous black seed. If the seed is chewed or crushed when eaten, it can release taxine alkaloids, which are rapidly acting cardiac toxins that can be fatal.
Daphne Berries (Daphne mezereum)
All parts of the Daphne shrub are poisonous, but its attractive, glossy red berries are particularly dangerous. They contain mezerein, a potent toxin that causes a severe burning sensation in the mouth and throat, followed by intense gastrointestinal upset, swelling, and can lead to kidney failure and coma.
Pokeweed Berries (Phytolacca americana)
The pokeweed plant produces hanging clusters of dark purple berries that are highly toxic to humans. However, the ripe berries are sometimes used to make ink and dye. Ingestion can cause severe cramping, vomiting, and respiratory failure. It is notable that the young spring shoots are considered edible only after being boiled multiple times to remove the toxins.
Holly Berries (Ilex aquifolium)
A classic symbol of winter, the bright red berries of the English Holly plant are mildly poisonous. Eating them can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and drowsiness. While a small number of berries may not cause serious harm, their consumption is strongly discouraged, especially by children.
Mistletoe Berries (Viscum album)
The white berries of the European Mistletoe are toxic. They contain a cocktail of harmful compounds, including viscotoxins. Ingestion can cause severe gastrointestinal distress, a slowed heart rate, and even cardiovascular collapse. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe does not involve eating the berries.
Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)
Known by the chilling common name “Doll’s Eyes” for its distinctive white berries with a single black dot, Baneberry is highly toxic. The entire plant, but especially the berries, contains cardiogenic toxins that have a sedative effect on the heart muscle, which can lead to cardiac arrest.
Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)
This plant produces beautiful, hard, scarlet and black seeds that are used in jewelry and rosaries. However, they contain one of the most potent plant toxins known, abrin. If a seed is chewed or crushed and ingested, even a single seed can be fatal, as abrin prevents protein synthesis within cells.
European Spindle (Euonymus europaeus)
This shrub produces vivid pink, capsule-like fruits that split open to reveal bright orange seeds. Both the seeds and the fruit are poisonous, containing glycosides that can cause severe liver damage and violent, cholera-like gastrointestinal symptoms.
Manchineel (Hippomane mancinella)
Known as the “little apple of death,” the fruit of the Manchineel tree is deceptively sweet-smelling but highly toxic. Ingestion causes intense burning pain, blistering, and severe gastroenteritis, which can be fatal. Even standing under the tree during rain can cause skin blisters from the caustic sap.
Jatropha Fruit (Jatropha curcas)
While cultivated for biodiesel production, the attractive Jatropha fruit contains toxic compounds, including phorbol esters. Ingesting the raw seeds causes severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The oil is a powerful purgative, and the toxins remain even after cooking.
Strychnine Tree Fruit (Strychnos nux-vomica)
The orange-like fruit of this tree contains seeds laden with strychnine and brucine, two powerful neurotoxins. Ingestion causes violent, painful convulsions and spasms due to the overstimulation of the spinal cord and is often fatal through respiratory failure or exhaustion.
Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia spp.)
The large, spiny fruit of this ornamental plant is packed with potent tropane alkaloids like scopolamine and atropine. Ingestion can cause intense hallucinations, paralysis, tachycardia, amnesia, and can be fatal. It is notoriously used in malicious practices for its ability to induce a controllable state of confusion.
European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
The black berries of this invasive shrub are a severe purgative, as the species name “cathartica” suggests. While sometimes used in historical medicine, ingestion causes violent vomiting and diarrhea and can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. The berries are considered toxic, especially to children.
Pokeberries (From Phytolacca americana)
While the young shoots are a foraged food, the mature berries and roots are highly toxic. The berries contain phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccigenin, which cause severe gastrointestinal cramping, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. The berries are sometimes mistakenly used to make juice or ink, with dangerous consequences.
Golden Dewdrop (Duranta erecta)
This popular ornamental shrub produces beautiful hanging clusters of orange-yellow berries. These berries are poisonous to humans and many animals, containing saponins and other compounds that can cause nausea, drowsiness, fever, and convulsions.
Lantana Berries (Lantana camara)
The green, unripe berries of this common garden plant are highly toxic. They contain triterpenoids (lantadene A & B), which cause photosensitivity, liver damage, and gastrointestinal irritation in humans and livestock. The toxicity decreases as the berries ripen to black, but they remain dangerous.
Virginia Creeper Berries (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
This native vine, often mistaken for poison ivy, produces dark blue berries. While not as toxic as others on this list, the berries contain oxalic acid (oxalates), which is poisonous if eaten in large quantities, causing kidney damage and gastrointestinal upset.
Cotoneaster Berries (Cotoneaster spp.)
The bright red berries of these common landscaping shrubs contain cyanogenic glycosides, the same compounds found in cherry pits. While a small number of berries may not cause harm, chewing and ingesting a large quantity can lead to cyanide poisoning, causing dizziness, headache, and respiratory distress.
European Belladonna (Atropa belladonna)
Also known as Deadly Nightshade, this is one of the most toxic plants in the Eastern Hemisphere. Its shiny black, cherry-like berries are sweet but contain tropane alkaloids (atropine, scopolamine). Ingestion of even 2-3 berries can be fatal for a child, causing delirium, hallucinations, and paralysis of the involuntary muscles, including those responsible for breathing.
White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)
Known as “Doll’s Eyes” for its striking and unnerving appearance, this plant produces white berries with a single purple-black “pupil.” The entire plant, but especially the berries, is highly toxic. It contains cardiogenic toxins that have a sedative effect on the heart muscle, which can lead to cardiac arrest.
European Spindle (Euonymus europaeus)
This shrub produces vivid pink, capsule-like fruits that split open to reveal bright orange seeds. Both the seeds and the fruit are poisonous, containing glycosides that can cause severe liver damage and violent, cholera-like gastrointestinal symptoms including severe vomiting and diarrhea.
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
This beautiful native shrub produces distinctive, star-shaped flowers and small, brown, capsule-like fruits. All parts of the plant, including the fruit, contain andromedotoxins. Ingestion can cause salivation, nasal discharge, vomiting, low blood pressure, and can progress to paralysis, convulsions, and death.
Oleander (Nerium oleander)
While famous for its flowers, Oleander also produces long, pod-like seed follicles. Every single part of this plant is extremely poisonous, containing cardiac glycosides like oleandrin. Ingestion of even a small amount of plant material, including the fruit, can disrupt the heart and be fatal.
Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
The spiny, bean-like fruit of this plant contains the seeds that produce castor oil. However, these seeds are lethally poisonous due to the presence of ricin, one of the most potent natural toxins known. Chewing and swallowing just one or two seeds can be fatal to an adult, causing severe vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and organ failure.
Moonseed (Menispermum canadense)
The fruit of the Moonseed vine is a dark purple drupe that looks deceptively like a wild grape. However, it contains a single, crescent-moon-shaped seed (unlike the round seeds of grapes) and is highly toxic. The berries contain dauricine, an isoquinoline alkaloid that can cause seizures and respiratory failure.
Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense)
This plant is a relative of the tomato and potato but is highly toxic. It produces yellow, cherry-tomato-like berries that contain solanine glycoalkaloids. Ingestion can cause burning in the throat, severe abdominal pain, headache, and potentially fatal respiratory failure.